Anti-terror police seek White Wolf racist over bombs

Anti-terrorist officers have intensified their search for a leading neo-Nazi believed to be behind one of the extremist factions which has claimed responsibility for the Brick Lane and Brixton bombings.

Police sources confirmed yesterday that detectives are keen to locate Del O'Connor, the former second in command of Combat 18 who has been linked with the extremist splinter group known as the White Wolves.

A caller claiming to represent the faction contacted police after both bombs to claim responsibility.

O'Connor, 39, was well known to police and the security services as the organiser of Combat 18's north of England operations, responsible for coordinating cells of activists in Halifax, Preston and Oldham. He renamed his organisation C18 White Wolves in homage to Hitler's ruthless Werewolves to give it a distinct identity from the London-based operation.

But far right sources say that he has since broken ranks with Combat 18 and has not been seen since he attended a skinhead concert in Coventry last December.

'Nobody has a clue where he has gone and that is very unusual because, if anybody knew, the word would get out somehow," said one insider.

Detectives stress that finding O'Connor is just one of the lines of inquiry being pursued.

MI5 and anti-terrorist officers are highly sceptical that in the faction-riven world of the neo-Nazi fringes, a more established group could mount an organised terrorist campaign without its involvement coming to the attention of the authorities.

Combat 18, which has also claimed responsibility for both bombs, has been heavily infiltrated by police informants and anti-fascist campaigners.

Instead, detectives believe that the devices were most likely to have been the work of either a lone bomber or a tiny cell of activists.

Whoever is responsible appears to have been strongly influenced by pre-millennial philosophies and tactics emanating from extremist groups in US. The White Wolves have issued statements warning blacks and Asians to leave the country by the end of the year or face 'extermination".

In a 15-page document issued to members, the group stated: 'The race war is not about to happen so we must start it ourselves. Sophisticated weaponry is not necessary to start the ball rolling... Anything which stirs the racial pot is justified."

O'Connor has a long history of far right activity. In the 1970s, he was a member of the British Movement, before joining the Ku Klux Klan in the 1980s and becoming involved in the burgeoning neo-Nazi music scene.

He joined Combat 18 in 1993 and took over its northern operation last year after serving three years in prison for an unrelated assault.

He was also responsible for liaising with extremely violent fascist groups in Scandinavia and the US. Last November, he spent two weeks in Texas with members of a notorious group called the Hammerskins.

He is also believed to have connections with Serbian neo-Nazis linked to the paramilitary group, the White Eagles, and far right sources claim that he is known to have bomb-making capabilities.

O'Connor has also boasted of his connections with Combat 18 members serving in the army. On a video obtained by the anti-fascist magazine Searchlight he claimed that 'lads in the armed forces" occasionally provided stolen weapons.

Last month, two serving soldiers were arrested in joint police and MI5 raids as part of an ongoing investigation into links between the armed forces and neo-Nazi groups.

Jack Straw reiterated his determination that the bombers would be caught when he visited Brick Lane yesterday to inspect the scene of Saturday's blast. The home secretary paid tribute to local people for refusing to be intimidated and told them: 'There is no future in evil and race hatred."